In a number of motor vehicles, a door assembly is designed such that there is a first, e.g. forward, window opening that carries a mobile window pane and a second, e.g. rearward, opening that is equipped with a fixed window pane. Rear fixed windows of conventional design may be assembled from discrete elements that include the window panel, a rear post that serves as a track for an adjacent movable window and various configurations of moldings or trim pieces, most specifically an extruded header/B-pillar trim piece that may be mechanically attached to the window module assembly using an interlocking channel or the like.
The trim in some prior art designs comprises an article in the nature of a pre-formed resilient band. In those designs, the window is inserted into a channel of the trim band which resiliently engages the window pane, but often less than securely. Conventional designs suffer from a number of deficiencies due to their assembly from discrete components such as water leakage, noise from the exterior (wind noise) or the interior, and problems generally with fit and finish. In addition, the assembly of these modules is often difficult, particularly where the individual components are manufactured by more than one supplier.
A few of the problems of conventional designs are overcome through the use of overmolding processes by which a portion of the trim surrounding the window pane is fabricated by encapsulating the window periphery with a polymer using injection molding techniques. In essence, the window pane is placed in a mold cavity which is configured to produce a circumferential trim at the pane edges. The edges of the pane on which the injection molded trim will adhere are cleaned and primed to promote adhesion and to create a water-impervious seal in the formed article. The mold is then closed and the material is injected such that the window pane edges are encapsulated to form the desired trim geometry.
The exterior appearance of the window modules is very important for the customer, i.e., the user of the motor vehicle. A solution for enhancing the appearance of a window module is to provide the periphery of the window pane with finished panels which are located outside the motor vehicle and are visible by the user. Said finished panels are for instance esthetic metal components which are secured to the window module.
It is also known to enhance the esthetic appearance of a window module by lying flush the outside of its window pane with the outside of the structure surrounding this pane. However, prior art only teaches solutions for mobile window modules and panes. Said solutions cannot be used as such for a fixed window module since the structure surrounding such module is different from the one of a mobile window module.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a fixed window module having a pleasant exterior appearance. There is also a need to limit noise transmission through the window module and to simplify the tooling and assembly process.